Taken - A Divergent High School Story Part 1
by Hooda
Summary: "But you promised.."
1. Chapter 1

_Two Years Ago - 14 Years Old - Beatrice_

_I am quickly walking down the plain sidewalk and trying not cry. I stare at the grey pavement and keep moving. That's what I've been trying to tell myself for the past few days: to keep moving. Don't stop; only move._

_I am too focused staring at the ground that I run into someone._

"_So sorry," I mumble, crouching down to pick up my fallen school books I just came back from buying at the store around the corner._

_Another set hands join mine, a boy's hands, and help me pick up my school items. I look up and face the boy._

_He has dark blue eyes, dark hair, and a pointed nose that hooks slightly at the end. His jaw is tense and his eyes are careful not to meet mine. He offers me his hand and pulls me up._

"_I'm sorry about that. I should have watched where I was going," I say a little louder than before. The boy nods and our eyes meet. But he doesn't look away. He smiles._

"_Are you new here?" he asks politely. I nod._

"_I just moved in this weekend actually." The boy raises his eyebrows._

"_From where?" I shift my books uncomfortably to my right arm._

"_I moved from Joliet. It's only a few hours south from here." _

_The boy offers me his hand and I shake it timidly. _

"_I'm Tobias Eaton. Welcome to the neighborhood…" he draws out the last word and I realize I didn't tell him my name._

"_... Beatrice," I finish for him. Tobias smiles. _

"_Well then Beatrice, welcome to the neighborhood," he says, smiling._

_And somewhere inside me, I find a smile too. _

**_Please review/rate (1-10) ten being the best/or just give me some ideas as to where the story should go. Thank you for reading my story! Chapters yet to be updated soon! - _**the author


	2. Chapter 2

_2 YEARS LATER - BEATRICE _

Tobias and I sit on the park bench, just watching little kids chase after other little kids through piles of autumn leaves. A little girl shrieks as her pet dog licks her face clean. The crisp air blows past my face, making me involuntarily shiver. I pull my scarf closer to my chin.

"You alright?" Tobias asks me. I nod and look up at him.

"I just shivered Tobias. It wasn't like someone was abducting me," I tease him and poke his arm. He smiles a little. Tobias almost never smiles anymore. Ever since his senior year started three months ago, he has been more reserved, strangely quiet, and avoiding people. It is strange.

"Are _you _okay Tobias?"

He sighs and returns his gaze to the children. His eyes focus on something beyond my help, beyond me, beyond the world. He nods uncertainly. "Yeah. I'm okay." That's all he can say?

"It's just that you have been a little, well, isolated lately. What's wrong Tobias? You know you can tell me," I say quietly, "You can trust me."

Tobias shifts on the bench so that our hands are just inches from each other. He looks down at the ground and bites the inside of his cheek. He only does that - the biting - when he is hiding something or nervous about something. What is wrong?

"I'll tell you some day, just not now," he mutters. I slide closer to him so I am pressed closer to his side and lean my head against his shoulder. His hand rests on top of mine. But this is only friendly. I could never date Tobias.

I am not pretty enough for someone like him and have no body; unlike the other girls that wink or wave at him in the halls at school. Some even give him their numbers. He just throws the little pieces of paper away in the trash once the girls walk out of sight.

But what Tobias and I have is different. We are close friends, but not together as a couple. We're always hanging out together that people _think _we are together, but we're aren't. Tobias is a great man; the perfect man for a girl his type. But it won't be me. We both know it.

"When?" I ask. I just want to know. I want to help him.

"In time Tris."

A year ago, Tobias decided to call me "Tris" as a shortened version of my name. He only calls me that when we are together, alone. In return, I call him "Four." Because he only has four fears and four wishes for the future ahead of him. The nicknames bind us closer, really.

So we just sit there quietly, watching the children play in the leaves.

"Are you going to the Fall Formal this year?" Tobias asks quietly.

I shrug. "Why go if no one is going to ask me? Zeke is taking Shauna. Will is taking Christina. Uriah is taking Marlene. And Lynn might be going with Al. Why do you ask?" I glance up at his face.

Each year our school hosts a Fall and Spring Formal. Only the Juniors and Seniors can attend. The only way a Freshman or Sophmore is allowed to go is if they are invited by someone in the two higher grades. But it is very rare for Freshman to attend. But a considerable amount from Sophmore go. Tobias, Shauna, and Zeke are Seniors. Will, Al, and Uriah are Juniors. And Marlene, Christina, Lynn and I are Sophmores. The chances of me going to the Formal are very slim.

"If I'm not asked - which I won't be - I will just stay home. You know I don't like loud parties where everyone just ends up getting drunk Four."

Last year, at the Spring Formal, Zeke had gotten so drunk that he went missing for a day. We all searched high and low for the idiot. It turns out he passed out in the bushes of his backyard when he tried to walk home.

"You make the Formals sound depressing and stressful," Tobias says, his thumb rubbing circles into my palm. His hand is so warm and careful.

"Well it _is _stressful. I hate the fact you have to go out and buy a fancy dress that I would only end up wearing once and just have to just give it away or return it." The idea of having to buy a dress for some stupid dance really makes me feel like I am wasting my time: which I would be doing.

Tobias smiles just a little bit more and his eyes meet mine.

"What if you went with someone you really would not refuse and actually _like_ the idea of having to go get a dress?" I feel my cheeks redden and pray that the blowing wind covers their changing color.

"Maybe. It depends, I guess."

"Then… do you want to go to the Fall Formal with me?" Tobias asks.

I stare at him. Did he just ask me to the Fall Formal? Does he have feelings for me? No, he must be doing this just to make some prettier girl jealous. Or maybe he is just playing with me.

"Me? Go to the Fall Formal with you?" I use my pointer finger to motion from him to me and back to him, just making sure. I raise my eyebrows testingly. Tobias nods and gives me a serious face.

"Yes. I want to know if you want to go to the Fall Formal with me."

Is it me, or did his cheeks just redden? Did mine?

"I… yeah. Yes. Yes! I'll go with you." My voice comes out in a rasp.

Tobias smiles the brightest smile I have seen him smile in weeks and puts an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer into his side. His hand that was rubbing circles into mine immediately stops and laces with mine.

Oh. My. God. Does he _like_ _me_ like me?

***PLEASE READ AND LEAVE A REVIEW ON WHAT SHOULD COME NEXT! - **THE AUTHOR*


	3. Chapter 3

_CHAPTER 2 - BEATRICE_

I wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of sirens.

What?

I slip out of my cozy bed and tiptoe over to my bedroom window and peek through the blinds. A white ambulance with blaring lights and siren sits in front of my neighbor's house, paramedics running from the truck and into the house with a gurney.

_Tobias' _house.

I grab a sweatshirt and my Converse, shoving them on as I bolt out the front door of my house. I spring across the front lawn and head towards Tobias' house. What happened? Did he get hurt?

I reach the Eaton's front door just as the paramedics push the gurney out the door and quickly make for the ambulance. Oh my God.

It's Evelyn. Tobias' mother.

But her face is deadly pale and her eyes are closed tightly, as if she is in deep pains but doesn't want to show it.

Marcus Eaton, Tobias' father, runs past me and climbs into the ambulance with his wife and the paramedics. As soon as the doors close to the back, the ambulance immediately takes off. The sirens are louder than ever. I see neighbors turning on their lights and peeking through their windows to observe the scene.

I turn around and walk into Tobias' house, closing the door softly behind me. "Tobias!" I call out. No response.

"Tobias!" I say louder. I walk into the elaborate kitchen, no one. The living room, no sign of his other than a backpack overflowing with homework assignments for the next day. "Tobias!" Nothing!

I sprint up the stairs, two at a time, and make my way to his bedroom door. I press my ear up against the shut door. There's no noise.

"Four, are you in there?" I ask softly. More silence. A minute passes.

The door clicks open and Tobias pulls the door open slowly. Tobias' eyes are red - he was crying - and he lets me step into his room.

Unlike any other high school guy, Tobias keeps his room impeccably clean. A small bookshelf sits in the corner with all his books organized by favoritism. His closet door is always shut tight and his bed is always made. A poster of the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team is plastered on the wall above his overflowing desk. That tiny desk is stacked with so many college papers and applications that it looks like it is going to snap any second now.

"What are you doing here Beatrice?" he asks rather angrily.

I drag my fingers through my tangled bed head.

"I came to see what happened. You're my best friend Tobias. I want to know what happened and that you didn't get hurt or anything."

Tobias sighs and closes the door. He sits down on the edge of his bed and I sit down next to him. His bed is still made and he still wears his street clothes from earlier when we sat in the park. He must have been doing his homework late.

"It was Evelyn," he starts, "she had a heart attack." He wipes a tear off his face. I've never seen Tobias cry; it makes me hurt too much.

"My parents were upstairs sleeping and I was finishing up my homework for tomorrow. I heard something going on upstairs and then Marcus was shouting for me to call the medics. I dialed them and went upstairs to see Evelyn clutching at her chest and pale."

He takes a deep breath. I reach for his hand and his fingers slip in between mine. I give his palm a squeeze.

"I didn't see the rest. I just came in here and locked my door."

I don't know what to say. What _do _you say when your best friend's mother is carried out of the house on a gurney to the hospital, trying to survive a heart attack? _I am sorry _doesn't really cut it.

So I just sit there with him as he mourns his mother's pain. It's the most and least I can do. I want to give him more, anything, but I can't.

We can never escape the boundaries of friendship.

But I _want _him.

Badly.


	4. Chapter 4

_CHAPTER 3 - TOBIAS_

I don't go to school today. And I don't want to go even if I am given a million dollars. I stay in bed, under the blue checkered quilt my grandfather gave me when I was little. It still faintly smells like the bottle of cologne I dropped on it a few years ago. No matter how many times I tried to wash out the smell, it still doesn't completely come off. It only makes my room smell nicer. More manly, I guess.

And Tris. She had heard the ambulance sirens and rushed over to make sure I was alright. I ached to be with her: that's why I asked her to the Fall Formal. To see if she wanted me in the same way. She held my hand as I retold what happened, her never pressing me for details.

We sat in silence for what felt like forever. I didn't want to call Marcus to ask how Evelyn is faring. I didn't feel anything at all. Just Tris' hand in mine. That was the only thing tethering me to sanity.

At some point, Tris dozed off on my shoulder. I gently laid her down on the bed and draped the blue quilt over her. She looked so peaceful for someone who is trying to balance her best friend's pain and the world on a scale in her head. It's amazing.

I lay down beside her, at a friendly distance, and play with a few strands of her loose bed head hair. It smells like sweet apples and something else; possibly cinnamon. I watch her as she breathes, her chest rising and falling peacefully. I match my breathing to her's and close my eyes.

0

"Hey. Tobias, get up. _Hey_," a voice whispers. It's Tris. A loud beeping cuts through her soft voice. My alarm clock.

I open my eyes to see Tris' looking straight into mine. They are a mixture of blue and grey: beautiful and deadly colors. They wake me up.

Right, the alarm.

I slowly sit up and a flare of pain goes through my body. I reach over to the alarm clock and slam my hand down on the SNOOZE button. It immediately stops beeping. Thank God for the silence. I lay back down.

Tris pulls the blanket off and drapes it over me. It is still warm from when she lay underneath it. She stands up and walks towards the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she says as she starts to open the door.

"Wait!" I call out. Tris spins around to look at me. I feel warm inside.

"I may not go to school today. You can tell anyone who asks why," I say quieter this time. Tris smiles a little. It's an attempt though.

"I will. Besides, who get up at the ungodly hour of four thirty in the morning?"

"I do. I'll see you later then, Tris."

"Alright, Four. I'll see later," she says as she quietly closes the door behind her and walks back downstairs and home. I flop back down into bed, pulling the quilt over my eyes, and fall asleep once again. I hate my life.


	5. Chapter 5

_CHAPTER 4 - TOBIAS_

According to my alarm clock, I woke back up at two in the afternoon.

I skipped lunch. I _never _skip lunch. Or breakfast.

I slowly claw my way to a sandwich in the fridge. I practically inhale it.

Everything is quiet. Too quiet. My mother should be sitting on the couch in front of the television, knitting scarves for the neighborhood kids. My father should be in the office down the hall or in the in the city.

But instead, my mother is in the hospital half dead and my father is probably mourning over her limp body. I don't want to go visit her now.

Just as I am half way up the stairs, the doorbell rings. I groan.

"Hey," Zeke says as he walks past me and into the living room.

"Hi." I sit down on the couch.

Zeke dumps his backpack on the floor and sits next to me.

"Beatrice told me what happened last night. I'm so sorry man."

For once, Zeke is _actually _saying something sincere. All it takes is for my mother to have a dying situation. I just shrug.

"She'll be fine. I know that for sure. It's just that last night was so much for me to take."

Zeke nods. "You gone to see her yet?"

"No. I just woke up actually. I don't want to anyways. Not _yet_ at least." Zeke claps me on the back and stands up.

"It'll be fine. If anything happens, just tell me. I'm there for you man. So is Beatrice." He hesitates like he wants to ask something but decides to keep it back. Then he decides he doesn't care and asks it anyway.

"Do you… like Beatrice?" I shift my eyes to his and glare.

"No. I don't really like anyone right now anyway. Why do you ask?"

Zeke shrugs and picks up his backpack off the ground.

"No reason. I just overheard Christina asking Beatrice if she was going to the Fall Formal and she said someone _did _ask her. And when Christina asked who, she said that you did. So… do you like her?"

I shake my head. "We're only going as friends. We're best friends Zeke. Dating her would be just weird. It would be like _me_ dating _you_."

Zeke laughs. "Dude! That's so gay!" He walks to the door without another word. I hear him swear when his ancient baby blue Chevy doesn't start. Then a bang. And then he pulls out of the driveway.

The door opens again. Tris walks in. I smile at her and she smiles back. She dumps her bag in the same corner as Zeke. The Backpack Corner.

"Hey. How was school today?" She groans and plops down beside me on the couch. I shove a pillow into her arms and she punches it rather hard.

"I hated it. Mr. A-Hole Johns gave me an unfair grade because I told the truth about an ancient society no one cares about!" She huffs out a breath and releases the pillow. "How was _your _day just sleeping?"

I shrug. "Nothing much. Marcus still hasn't called about Evelyn's condition. And I'm just sitting here doing nothing. Not that I care."

I crave the feeling of her fingers laced with mine. But I don't initiate it. I don't want her to feel like I'm pushing her into a relationship.

_Do you like Beatrice?_

Zeke's words ring through my head.

_I do. I like Beatrice. No, I _love _her. Too much._

I love the way her eyebrows scrunch up when she is frustrated or thinking too hard. She's smart and a member of National Honor Society. She has beautiful eyes. She's not like the other girls I used to stare at; all bend and curve and softness. No, she's perfect just as she is. I just wish she would believe that herself.

"What are you staring me so much for? I don't have food on my face do I? Oh God that would be embarrassing!" Tris rubs her chin with her thumb in attempt to wipe off any remains of her lunch. I smile.

"You're face is fine. No food. I swear. It's perfect." I immediately feel my face get hot. I just called her face perfect. Oh God, what did I do?

Tris drops her hand and I swear, her cheeks flush a little. I smile and lean forward a little closer so that I am sitting closer to her. I lean closer… closer… _I can't do this… _

Tris turns her head around and sees me getting closer. Her hand squeezes my arm and she leans closer, too. My forehead is barely inches from her's.

"I like you Tris," I whisper.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 5 - BEATRICE

I turn my head around to look back at Four and I immediately freeze. His face is so close to mine it isn't even funny. Our foreheads are barely inches from each others'. I feel something warm blossom inside me.

"I like you Tris."

My face reddens like a tomato. There is no doubt about it. I stare at him blankly. I can't remember how to breathe.

"I like you too Four. I always have."

He smiles so slightly I can't help but smile myself. Is this really happening? Four likes me?

He leans his forehead against mine and we breath each others' air.

And just as he is leaning in so our noses touch just slightly, the front door bursts open to reveal a very distressed Marcus. I completely forgot that he was at the hospital with Evelyn. Tobias immediately pulls away and lets go of me. His expression completely changes: colder, fiercer, reserved.

Marcus eyes me.

"What are you doing here Beatrice? Why aren't you at home? Why are you here?" he growls. I stand up and confront Marcus. I never said I had a good relationship with Tobias' father. I never have. We hate each other.

"I came to see my best friend because his mother is in critical condition at the hospital. Is there anything wrong with that Marcus?" I spit.

Marcus scowls looks at Tobias. "Tobias, please walk Beatrice out. We need to talk about some things that are only for our ears. Private matters regarding your mother. Well Beatrice? You may leave now." Marcus gestures to the door with one hand, the other still holding his car keys.

Tobias stays planted to the couch with a stern and placid facial expression on his face as he watches me leave. Just as Marcus is closing the door behind me I see him mouth the word _tree house._


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 6 - TOBIAS

Marcus closes the door behind Beatrice and the room drops another ten degrees since he walked in. Ever since the end of summer two months ago, my father has had a colder view on me. It includes more talks about the future: my college choices, my life after college, and who I will _marry_.

"_I want you to marry someone with lots of money and power," he told me quietly one night in bedroom while my mother put away the left-overs from that night's meal._

"_What if I want to marry someone who is 'middle-classed?'"_

_Marcus grabbed me by the collar and slapped me in the face so hard that I was surprised my mother hadn't heard it. Marcus shoved me away and glared. _

"_You will not marry anyone below our status. You will go to college and study law or medicine. And when you begin to look for a wife, you will only choose the highest woman in society there is. Go into the city and find a good doctor for all I care. Just marry the money." I shook my head._

"_No. I won't. This is my life; not your's. I am going to choose what I want to do with myself. Not you." _

_I shouldn't have said that. Marcus came at me so fast I could barely react or scream. He grabbed me by the collar again and slammed his fist into my jaw. He covered my mouth with one hand and held me by the neck with the other. When did he learn to fight like this? I was terrified. _

_Marcus kept his hand over my mouth._

"_You are my property and you will do as I say. Starting with Beatrice Prior. You will end your friendship with that brat. Tell her you have a new best friend and have no feelings for her whatsoever. If I see her with you alone ever again, you will have a bullet in your skull that night as you sleep."_

_My jaw throbbed. I could never hurt Beatrice like that. Never. She was my closest friend and like a little sister to me. We did so much for each other. I was family to her. _

Her words still rang inside my skull.

_I like you too Four. I always have._

She has liked me this entire time.

Marcus snaps his fingers in my face to snap me out of my thought.

"Why was Beatrice here? Are you two dating?" I shake my head.

"No Dad. She just stopped by to ask about Evelyn. That's all."

Marcus frowned. "Why does she care about Evelyn's condition?"

I cross my arms across my chest.

"Evelyn is like a second mother to her. That's why."

"Not anymore," Marcus mumbles quietly. I give him a look.

"Excuse me?"

Marcus drops the keys on the tray by the door and slips off his shoes.

"Your mother is dead."

He says it so simply, like it doesn't matter to anyone.

The words burn into me, making me feel empty.

My mother is dead? No. It can't be. She has to be alive.

I get up, walk to the door, and slam the door behind me.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 - TRIS

I hear a loud slam from Tobias' house and see him walk into his backyard. He grabs a branch of a large oak tree and pulls himself up, branch by branch, until he ducks under a canopy of leaves and disappears.

The tree house. I almost forgot.

0

I duck my head under the canopy of leaves and pull myself into the tree house. It isn't very big; only a few feet tall and a few feet in diameter. Tobias' parents built it for him and Zeke when they were a lot younger and had an obsession with rockets and pirates.

Tobias is curled in the corner in the most vulnerable state I have ever seen him in. His face is red and streaked with tears and arms wound tightly around his knees. He doesn't make any sign that he sees me enter the room. Or box. Whichever.

"I'm so sorry Tobias."

He leans his head against the wooden wall and closes his eyes, taking deep breaths of air. I scoot over and rest my head on his shoulder. His hand reaches for mine and our fingers twist together. I feel a tear slip down my cheek.

Evelyn is gone.

There is nothing for me to say because I can't think of anything. It is pathetic. My best friend's mother dies and I can't think of anything to say? I think the best thing for me to do right now is to just be here with Tobias. Mourning and comforting in silence.

Tobias is the first to break the silence.

"I'm leaving. And I want you to come with me."

I shrug. "We can go to Pizza Factory-"

"No Tris. I'm leaving. For good. I can't stay here."

My eyebrows pop up three inches.

"Excuse me? You're leaving? Where?"

It's his turn to shrug.

"Away. As far as I can get from here. From Marcus. From my life."

I pull my hand away from his and glare at him.

"You want to give up your senior year and run away? Tobias, you can't do that! It's crazy. Absolutely ridiculous!" But the expression he gives me makes me feel cold.

"I don't have anything here Beatrice. I don't have any family left. I will have by Marcus' rules and expectations. I have to leave, maybe go West." I shake my head.

"You have me and Zeke and everyone else. I am your family Four. Hey, look at me."

I grab his chin in my hand and force him to face me. His eyes are dark in the fading sunlight, almost black. They are filled with sorrow and fear, something I have never seen in him. I lean closer to him. "You will hurt me beyond help by leaving."

"Tris, I am leaving." He pulls away and begins to stand up.

And I am letting him get up?

I grab his wrist. He spins around to face me. His eyes look hopeful.

"What about Fall Formal. Aren't you supposed to take me? We're going together, right?" I want him to at least stay for the dance. It would break my heart and soul if he left me now. He promised to take me. Tobias shakes my grip off and I immediately recoil from him.

"I'm sorry Tris. I can't."

Now it is my turn to cry. A few tears streak down my face as he pulls himself out of the tree house. Tobias starts climbing down. And I let him. I let him break me into a million pieces.

"You promised…" I whisper as his brown hair disappears into the leaves.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 10 - TOBIAS

I hurt Tris. I hurt her. Those words don't sound right to me.

Marcus is upstairs in his bedroom with the door closed, so I have a few minutes to escape. The desire burns in my chest: to have escape now or never.

I grab my backpack from where I left it last night dumped in the living room and shove a week's worth of clean clothes in it, leaving behind my school books. That doesn't matter now. I grab the blue quilt and pillow off my bed and make for the door. I stop in mid-step.

A picture of Beatrice and I hugging each other at Navy Pier on the fourth of July sits framed on my desk. It was dark when the polite woman took the photo of us. She said the Ferris Wheel would look good in the background, so that's where the picture was taken. My arms are looped around Beatrice, her head resting on my chest, and we're so _happy_.

The city lights reflected in Tris' eyes, making them burn with beautiful fire.

I grab the picture off my desk, as well as a few college applications that I can work on.

I walk out the front door without looking back once.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 11 - TRIS

I want to skip school so badly. It's like my bed holding me down.

_Just stay home and keep crying. _

No, I have to distract myself by leaving the house.

_There are too many memories at school though. Just stay home._

I kick the covers back and grab a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

"Beatrice!" my mother calls from the bottom of the steps. "The bus is here!"

I grab a granola bar and run out the door.

0

"Hey! Beatrice!"

I turn around to see Zeke bounding in my direction. Uriah follows close behind him.

Zeke catches up to me. He looks worried.

"Have you seen Tobias anywhere?" I stop in my tracks and turn around, walking away from the two of them. Uriah steps in front of me and gives me a worried expression.

"You know what happened. Don't you?" he asks softly. I nod slowly.

"Evelyn passed away and Tobias couldn't handle it. So he left."

I wipe away a tear that is threatening to break loose over my face. Uriah and Zeke flash each other concerned looks. Evelyn was like a second mother to them as well.

"Where'd he go?" Zeke asks me. His voice sounds thick with emotion.

I shrug. "I don't know. I was too stunned to go after him."

And then another tear slips over my cheek.

"He told me he liked me and then Marcus arrived and we met in the tree house and he asked me to come with him and I begged him to stay but he told me he wouldn't and I begged him to at least stay for the Formal but he told me he wouldn't take me and left me there alone. He just _left. _He's my best friend and he _left!"_

I can't keep the tears back. They aren't giant sobs, just little tears flowing over my face. Uriah gives me a sympathetic look and pulls me into him, his arm across my shoulders. Zeke just stares at a distant point and mutters something under his breath.

"I _knew_ he was lying."

I pull away from Uriah and give him a look.

"He lied about something?"

Zeke nods and swallows.

"I went over to Tobias' place yesterday before you came over and asked him if he like you. He said he didn't and only wanted to be friends with you. I guess he had other plans."

Zeke smiles just slightly and I feel repulsed. Tobias lied and said he didn't like me, told me he _did _have feelings for me, and then _left. _That is so stupid.

Christina and Lynn see us from the entrance of the cafeteria and then see our worried faces. They grab Al and Will and make their way over to us. Lynn grabs my arm and gives Uriah a look.

"What did you do to her Uriah?"

Uriah puts up his hands in surrender and steps away from Lynn.

"I swear it wasn't me! It was Tobias!"

Lynn scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"Yeah right. Like _Tobias_ would make Beatrice ever cry. He loves her!"

I feel another twinge in my stomach and feel like I'm going to throw up.

Christina hands me a tissue and her water bottle. I gratefully accept them both while Zeke explains what happened last night between Tobias and I to everyone else. By the time he is finished Christina has her scrunched up in anger, Will is grabbing her arm to hold her back, Lynn is making fists, and Al is just looking confused.

Something warm spills into me. Even though my closest and best friend abandoned me for good to escape grief and the world, there are still people here who care about what happened. I thought they would just give a nod or hug, then continue on with their lives. But these are Tobias' close friends too. So they are worried about me and worried about their idiot, but great, friend. I am eternally grateful for them being at my side.

"Let's hunt him down," Christina exclaims after a moment of silence. She reaches into her bag and pulls out her cell phone. "We can post 'Wanted' or 'Missing' posters and see who can find this idiot. Zeke, you and Tris knew him best. Where do _you _think he would be."

Zeke opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

"Let's _not _look for him."

Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. Which I probably am right now.

Christina shrugs. "That's fine with me."

I shake my head.

"That's not what I meant Christina. Maybe we should let Tobias show up somewhere first before we decide to look for him. He could return tonight or the police may arrest him for speeding. We all know how many times he's been pulled over in a week for speeding too much. Just give it twenty four hours and I swear he'll pop up _somewhere_."

Al gives me a conflicted look as everyone thinks this over.

"But where would we see him?" Al asks quietly.

I stand up straighter

"Evelyn's funeral, of course. Who misses their own mother's funeral?"


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 12 - TOBIAS

Stupid police officers. I got pulled over. Again.

I step out of the car like the officers asked me to and let them pat down my legs and arms. They only manage to find a chocolate bar and my wallet. My cell phone still sits on the dashboard of my car.

"Mr… Eaton?" the officer asks, reading my licence.

I nod hesitantly.

"Yes sir."

"Hmmm. Marcus Eaton's kid?"

I nod slowly.

"So Mr. Eaton. Tell me why you were speeding tonight."

I sigh.

"My mother passed away a few days ago and I was planning on attending her funeral. I am running late, so I had to speed just a little. What guy misses his mother's funeral?"

The police officer gives me a grave look as he gives me back my possessions.

"Sorry to hear that kid. But I still have to give you a ticket."

He pulls out a wad of paper and pen and starts scribbling something down. I sigh with impatience. My black clothes ich against my skin and are hard to stand up in without getting severely scratched. The police officer rips the piece of paper off the wad and hands it to me.

"Stay out of trouble kid. And I'm sorry about your mother by the way."

He gets into his dark car and pulls away.

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 13 - TOBIAS

The funeral passes in a blur. I don't really pay attention to anything going on around me. I ignore everyone that comes up to me with fake condolences. It's stupid.

Everyone goes to Marcus' house after the ceremony for more crying and fake condolences. His house has become the central hub of drama. The only reason I'm going to his house is because I forgot to take some things from my bedroom a few days ago.

I open the door to my bedroom and completely freeze.

"Tris?"

Beatrice's head snaps up in surprise. She sits on the end of my bed with her head in her hands. Her black skirt fans out around her legs and her face is red with tears.

"Tobias. I didn't know you would be here," she murmurs quietly.

"Of course I would be here. It's my mother's funeral, Tris. Why are _you_ here?" I gesture around the room with my arms. Her face turns slightly pink.

"It was too crowded downstairs, so I came up here looking for a quiet space. And your bedroom door was open, so I came in here." She starts getting up and grabs her sweater.

"I'll be going now. Good bye Tobias," she says forcefully as she makes for the door. I don't let her get that far. I grab her arm and pull her back around. She makes a fist and immediately punches me in the arm. I release her and hold my arm tightly.

"Ow!"

She gives me a pointed look.

"I said good bye, Tobias."

"Wait!" I call after her. Beatrice sprints down the stairs and out the door. I follow close behind her. "Beatrice! Stop!" She turns around and throws her sweater at me. She's angry.

"No! I won't stop! You didn't stop when I begged you back in the tree house! So forget it!" Beatrice's eyes burn with the light of the dying sun and her hands are clenched into fists. Her feet slip between the blades of grass.

"I'm sorry about the other night! Okay? I'm sorry!" I shout at her as nicely as I can.

A tear slips across her cheek.

"No you're not! You hurt me beyond anything! You were my best friend! And then your mother dies and everything in my world starts falling apart. You _leave_!"

Beatrice crumples to her knees and her head drops into her hands again. Her shoulders shake and I know she's crying; and not for my mother, but for me.

I take her sweater and drape it across her shoulders. She flinches away.

"Tris."

She wipes her face clear and glares at me.

"What?" Her voice is rough and creaky.

"I'm sorry. Okay? I'm begging you to please forgive me. Please…"

She takes her time considering the odds in her head. Her eyes don't look into my face, but her fingers play with the little blades of grass surrounding her. She's beautiful in the sunlight. Her hair is neatly braided down the side of her neck, making her face look magnified. In a good way though. Even with tears on her face, she's still perfect. I could never hurt her.

She's too beautiful to break.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Her question snaps me out of my daze.

"Like what?"

She tries to grin, but it comes out crookedly small. It's cute.

"I am thinking about how beautiful you are and how I am going to take you to Fall Formal this year. I will be taking the prettiest girl with me to Formal!"

I drop down beside her on the grass and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my side. She rests her head on my shoulder and looks up at me, making me melt inside.

"You're forgiven. For now."

I raise my eyebrows.

"For now?" She smiles and I wipe away the remaining tears on her face. Before I can pull my hand away, she places her own on top of mine. I twist mine so our palms touch, our fingers twisting together. I rub my thumb in slow circles over the back of her hand.

"Now am I forgiven?" I ask her teasingly. She shakes her head _no._

I take my free hand and place it on her cheek, making her look into my eyes this time.

My forehead touches her's just slightly. She tries to bite back a smile.

Her long nose slips along mine.

And I press my lips to her's.

At first she is unsure and pulls away. But I grin a little and kiss her again, firmer this time. My hand loosens from her's and wraps around her waist, pulling her on top of me. My hand slips through her hair and holds the back of her neck. I love this feeling: the burning desire that fires through me every time we touch each other. But now she has set me completely on fire, my body ablaze.

I pull away and kiss the skin just beneath her jaw. It tastes like salt and lemons from her favorite smelling lotion I gave her last year for her birthday. But she tips her head so our lips meet again.

For a few minutes, we kiss in the dying light of the world. And everything feels perfect.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 14 - TRIS

We decided to keep it a secret. Tobias and I are together.

I wake up the morning after Evelyn's funeral and grab the first thing out of my small closet: a bright sundress and sweater. Today, I really don't care.

I hum a tune as I take a shower and dry my hair, leaving it loose to cascade over my shoulders. I even rub some of my favorite lemon scented lotion onto my arms. Perfect.

I sit at lunch with Christina and everyone else, picking at my sandwich. Everyone is engulfed in conversations about the upcoming Fall Formal. Christina is writing down ideas for her dress she will buy on a piece of paper in front of me. The ideas are too much for me.

Tobias still hasn't come to lunch because he is making up a test for a class he missed when he disappeared. I am just about to bite into my sandwich when I feel someone poke me.

"I hate that English class. Mr. Rosen is too strict and doesn't let us have more liberty on what to write on our tests," Tobias says, dumping his bag on the ground and sits down on the seat open on my right. Under the table so no one can see, our fingers twist together.

Everyone in our group goes silent. They stare at Tobias, who looks at the table.

I roll my eyes at them.

"Tobias came back last night for Evelyn's funeral guys. I _told_ you all that waiting for him to show up would work quicker." I take a bite out of my sandwich.

Zeke and Uriah exchange a look. Christina drops her pencil and it rolls under the table. Nobody moves. But Al does. He comes right up to Tobias with the most frightening expression I have ever seen him conjure jabs his finger into Tobias' chest, hard.

"Don't you _ever _leave us like that. Ever. Do you know what you did to Beatrice?" Al growls in a low voice. Tobias just stares at the finger digging into his shirt. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Christina slide under the table to look for her pencil. I hear a gasp. The table shakes when Christina's head hits the underside of the table. Al pulls away from Tobias.

"I _knew _it!" we hear her shriek from under the table. I feel my face go blank.

Tobias and I immediately let go of each other's hand and I shove my hand in my pocket. Oh God. Christina resurfaces from under the table with her pencil and a crazy smile.

"You two are dating! I saw you holding hands!"

Everyone's eyes practically bulge out of their skulls. Uriah's cake drops from his fork.

Al gives me a dangerous look. But his eyes look almost… jealous. Or sad?

I reach for Tobias' hand under and am surprised to find it waiting for mine.

"Yeah," I mutter. "Tobias and I are together now."

***PLEASE EXCUSE ANY ERRORS AND THE FACT THAT THIS CHAPTER IS SO SHORT AND LACKING ANY DETAIL. I AM CURRENTLY TRYING TO SWAT AWAY TWO VERY ANNOYING FLIES IN MY BEDROOM AS I WRITE NEW CHAPTERS AND IT IS VERY HARD TO SWAT AND WRITE. -** the author*****


	14. Chapter 14 FIRE PART 1

We all decide to light a bonfire that night in Zeke and Uriah's back yard to roast marshmallows and eat s'mores with hot chocolate. Al said he had some things to catch up on and wouldn't be able to come tonight.

"Ready?" Tobias asks me as I grab my sweatshirt. I nod. The drive to the Pedrad's house is not very long. Only ten minutes at most. But they live in a more isolated part of town. A length of pine trees and oaks separate acres of their property from the main road. In the fall, when everything is painted in colors like fire, their back yard is probably the most beautiful place to visit. We pull off the road and Tobias' foot pushes harder against the gas to get the truck up the rocky road. I wonder how Zeke's ancient truck ever makes it up this hill path each day. Their large labrador, Dauntless, greets me as soon as I jump out of Tobias' truck.

"Dauntless! Come here boy!" I screech as Dauntless bounds in my direction with his tongue flopping in every direction. His dark curls wave in the wind. But Dauntless doesn't stop. That's the thing with this dog: he likes to bound in your direction and then jump into your arms. He was trained to do this by Uriah and Zeke who are much stronger and muscular than I am, so they can practically carry this dog like a baby.

Dauntless jumps into the air and before I can open my arms, lands right on top of me. My head hits the grass hard and Dauntless starts licking my face all over. I shriek with laughter like a little girl and grab him by either sides of his head, trying to shake him off. His big shaggy paws playfully rub me on the head; like he's trying to calm me down.

"Dauntless! That's _my _job to kiss her neck!" Tobias yells from the truck. I hear him laugh as he bounds over and drags Dauntless off me. I wipe off the dog saliva and Tobias helps me to my feet. He reaches out and wipes off some saliva I missed. He cups my cheek in his hand and kisses me. I wrap my arms around his neck to pull him closer.

"Woof!" Dauntless tries to snake his way between us and he is so tall that he manages to butt-head Tobias away. Tobias pulls away from me and laughs.

"No Dauntless, she's _mine!_"

Dauntless growls at him.

"Dauntless! Come boy! Hey guys!" I spin around to see Uriah running in our direction and whistling for Dauntless to go away. I only feel bad until I see him bound after another arriving vehicle. It's Christina and Will. They wave to us and I wave back.

_***THIS IS ONLY PART ONE OF THESE NEXT THREE CHAPTERS. IT WILL BE A VERY CHANGING AND EVOLVING PART TO THE STORY AND WILL MOST LIKELY SET THE PLOT FOR THE REST OF THE STORY. I WILL BE UPDATING THE NEXT TWO PARTS AS SOON AS I CAN! THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY AND I HOPE YOU LOVE DAUNTLESS THE BLACK CURLY LAB AS MUCH AS I DO! - **_the author_*****_


	15. Chapter 15 FIRE PART 2

CHAPTER 16 - FIRE - PT 2 - TOBIAS

The dog kissed my girlfriend on the neck before I could. I know it's considered romantic to kiss your partner even in the most disgusting times, but I won't kiss Beatrice's neck for a while. Knowing Zeke and Uriah, they probably still haven't taken that dog to the vet to be checked for vermin. Like rabies. So I'll take my chances and try to stay alive.

Unlike Evelyn.

I wince at the thought of her name. Her closed casket at the funeral because Marcus made it very clear that no one was to see the body. Not even me. I push the thought aside. I can't think about my mother's death here in front of everyone or I'll go crazy.

"Are you okay?" Beatrice asks as we begin walking towards the Pedrad's backyard, Dauntless bounding and barking at squirrels. I shake my head ever so slightly and reach for her hand. Our fingers twist together and she gives my palm a squeeze.

We've been together for a week now. A week since Evelyn's funeral where I kissed her and a week since everything in our lives changed. No one in school is as comfortable around me as before. I guess running away for a few days really sets your ego.

But the gang acts like nothing ever happened. In fact, they have been more amitable and sincere since my return. I guess losing you mother makes you weaker amongst your friends. And then there's Tris.

She acts like death and disappearances makes you stronger. We have been meeting in the tree house in my backyard, the only place and time I really feel like myself. Not Marcus' scared son, not the school freak, not the weak group member. Tris just treats me like… _me._

And I can never repay her for that little piece of sanity in my life.

We all to the enormous back yard lined and protected by hundreds of pines and oaks. On one side of the horizon the sun is setting in a red blaze. And on the opposite side of the skies rises the full moon. A mix of two worlds.

I can't decide in which light Beatrice looks the best. The red light of the dying sun makes her hair look bright and her features look more pronounced and beautiful.

But the moon on the other hand makes her pale blue eyes glow with a deadly light.

I hear another car pull up out front. Lynn, Marlene, Shauna and Al come bounding through a mess of bushes. Lynn looks different. By different, I mean bald.

"Lynn! Where the heck did you do to your head?" Christina exclaims, her eyes practically bulging out of her head. I don't blame her though. Lynn slaps her bare head.

"I donated it so people with cancer can _have_ hair. Where's the fire?" she asks, like the case is closed. Uriah manages to peel his eyes off of Lynn's head and turns to Zeke.

"Do you have the lighter and gas?"

Zeke pulls out a gallon of gasoline and a massive lighter from behind the enormous pile of dead branches we will burn marshmallows over. Everyone takes a nervous steps back.

0

"Yeah! Go fire!"

Zeke staggers back to his chair. He carries a bottle of beer in his hand. I think it may be his third in the past hour. At least his parents are gone for the weekend and we'll have enough time to look for him if he gets too drunk and goes missing in the middle of the night. Uriah, who is not drinking, sticks a marshmallow on a stick and sets it over the fire. His eyes glow with the dancing flames. Everyone else it silent, enjoying the peace.

"We should play Truth or Dare," Zeke mutters. His voice is returning to normal.

Christina sits up on the lawn chair she lounges on.

"I'm up for it. How about you Uriah?" she asks.

Uriah shrugs. "As long as cake is involved."

Christina gives me a look.

I shrug, my hand still clasped with Tris'.

"Yeah. Okay."

Al raises his hand and waves it around like a little kid.

"I want to go first!"

Tris grins a little.

"Al: Truth or Dare?"

Al doesn't hesitate.

"Truth."

"Do you like me?"

Al goes completely still; like the question sucked something right out of his soul.

"A little," he mumbles. Tris raises her eyebrows. My hand tightens oh her's and she squeezes back gently.

"So you _do _like me? Or you don't?" she asks quietly. Al looks terrified, but he can't back out of this. The rules of Truth or Dare are quite simple: answer the complete truth and do the entire given dare. There are no "buts." Al mumbles something under his breath about "stupid rules."

"That's a penalty!" Zeke exclaims. Tris gives him an irritated look. "You can only ask _one _question to another person! Beatrice, you asked _three_ questions!"

Zeke throws his empty beer can into the fire and it bursts into flame. Al on the other hand looks relieved that Zeke intruded on his turn of the game.

"Tobias!" Zeke says from across the fire, snapping me out of my stupor. "Truth or Dare?" I don't take any time choosing one.

"Dare!" I give Tris' hand a little squeeze. She presses back.

"I dare you to… I dare you to…" he leans down to listen to what Uriah has to whisper in his ear. I feel something twinge in my stomach. Zeke smiles and nods at his brother, turning back to the rest of us. His eyes lock on mine.

"Pull out your phone and open up your Facebook page. Then let me see your phone so I can post something on your account."

I slip my phone out of my pocket and bring up Facebook, log in, and hand the phone over to Zeke. He turns his back to us all and I can see his fingers jabbing away at the screen. A minute later, he turns around and hands the phone back to me. I nearly wet my pants at what he posted.

_Looking to engage the services of a professional matchmaker._

He changed my status! I hear Tris laugh beside me. She read this? Oh my God.

"Good one Zeke! I love it!" she cries. "Everyone check this out!"

Everybody, even Zeke, pulls out their own phones to see my Facebook page.

It takes about three seconds for everyone to burst out laughing. My face reddens.

Lynn stops laughing and calls someone's name out.

"Beatrice!"

Tris wipes her laughter away and gives Lynn a look.

"Truth or Dare?" Lynn asks her.

"Dare."

Lynn considers for about three seconds.

"I dare you to sit on Tobias' lap the entire night and kiss him."

_Well that is easy enough._

Tris stands up and I open my arms for her to fall into. She's heavier than I thought she would be for someone that small. I pull a blanket around my shoulders and put my arm around her so the blanket covers both of us. She rests her head against my neck and we sit there, waiting for the next person to go.

Lynn clears her throat. Tris gives her a look. Lynn rolls her eyes.

"You have to kiss him. Remember?"

Tris' cheeks turn rosy pink in the firelight and she turns her head to look at me, only to be met by my lips. Her hand curls around my neck and my arms tighten around her.

"Alright! Enough!" Uriah shouts. I pull away from Beatrice, craving for her to keep kissing me. But she gives me a glance before turning back to the others.

_**PART THREE COMING RIGHT UP...**_


	16. Chapter 16

Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading my story and I hope you all will comment some ideas as to where _you_ think the story should go. I plan on only writing (about) 25 chapters for this story, so there's only 11 more chapters to go! So I need some ideas "pronto amigo!" Again, thank you for reading "Divergent High School Story!" - the author

*86 more views and I'll reach my goal of 2,000! Come on guys! We're almost there! If I reach 2,300 views, I'll give you all a sneak peek at my new upcoming Allegiant Alternate ending (available in November).*


	17. Chapter 17

**HERE IT IS GUYS! . . . **

CHAPTER 17 - FIRE PART 3 - TRIS

At some point, the ridiculous game of Truth or Dare ends. The group just sits huddled around the bonfire, sharing happy stories of happy times. I lay my head against Tobias' chest, enjoying the feeling of his chest vibrating against my cheek each time he speaks or softly laughs. The fire smolders warmly, enveloping us all in a sense of peace. Even Dauntless, who is always energetic, lays his head in Uriah's lap and closes his eyes. Tobias pulls me closer to him and pulls the blanket tighter around me.

I feel myself slipping away little by little. It started with a yawn or two, then my eyes drooping, and I finally closed my eyes and rested my head on Tobias' shoulder.

I open my eyes to the gentle sway of Tobias carrying me. My head is still on his shoulder, but his chest vibrates as he hums softly. It's one of Evelyn's beautiful lullabies.

0

"Hey. Tris. Come on," a voice whispers into my ear. Who ever it is, their lips are tickling my ear. I smile a little at the feeling. "We're home, little girl."

Tobias opens his door and steps out to open mine. He steadies me with one hand so I don't fall over. His arm slips across my shoulders, holding me close. We silently walk hand in hand to my front door. I climb up two steps so that I am equally at his height.

"Thanks for everything tonight," I mumble. I reach out and brush a few pieces of loose hair that hang just over his forehead. He catches my hand in his and pulls me into his arms. I wrap my arms around his neck and breathe in the scent of his skin: like safety. I close my eyes and absorb the moment, pressing it into my memory.

And in that exact moment, I know that what Tobias and I have between us is not just some simple crush-liking-phenomenon. We may actually _love_ each other. I pull away slowly and press my lips to his. He doesn't resist it at all. His hands slip around my waist, pulling me in closer and my hand tangles in his hair.

_I love him._

_I really do…_


	18. Chapter 18

Come on guys! 18 more views and we will reach the goal of 2,000 views! We're almost there! Please keep reading this story! - the author


	19. Chapter 19

YES! 2,009 views! Thank you so much guys! - the author

(WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!)


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 17 - TRIS

I am sitting in my Biology class jotting down some notes on a chapter we read in class today, when the teacher hands me a pass.

**Name: Beatrice Prior**

**Reason: completion of test**

**Destination: room C133**

I pack my things into my bookbag and nod to the teacher as I walk out into the hallway. What is going on?

_***Page Break***_

I open the door to room C133 as quietly as I can. But no one is inside this room. Everyone except a woman with short blonde hair and blue dress that hugs her body. I recognize this teacher from somewhere, but can't really remember.

"Ah, Miss Prior. Thank you for coming!" the woman exclaims when she sees me. Her eyes seem to search me as I take a seat at an empty table. I nervously tap my fingers against the hard table. Something about this meeting doesn't feel… right.

"I'm Ms. Matthews and I teach an AP Biology class here but originally taught at a college in downtown. I believe I met your older brother, Caleb, chose that college. What a shame that I could not stay to teach him." My fingers stop tapping and I raise my eyebrows.

"You met my brother Caleb?"

Ms. Matthew's gives me a small smile that looks forced.

"Why yes! He is such an excellent young man with such high expectations for himself. I absolutely _adore _him! There should be more people in this world like him." I don't blame her. Caleb is the perfect son, brother, boyfriend, and promise breaker there is.

Caleb is only older than me by a year and was in his Junior year high school when he showed signs of being a genius. He took the title proudly, wearing it anywhere he went. It made me feel downright stupid because I am just… _average._ I'm smart, but not "genius" level of smart. And so Caleb became a glory-seeking idiot to me. Of course, he was still nice to everyone else. He was selfless, kind, and always completing all his volunteer hours. It was repulsive when he came home and played the "perfect son" in front of our parents. But when were alone, Caleb revealed his true colors.

"_What are you doing Beatrice?" Caleb called from the living room._

"_I'm heating up a pizza. Christina and Tobias are coming over to watch a movie soon. Why are you asking?" I pulled the frozen pizza out of the box and set it on the circular metal tray to heat it up in the oven. Caleb walked into the kitchen and gave me a patronizing look._

"_You don't put the pizza on that tray. Here," he handed me a square pan. "Put it here instead." I didn't accept that tray. I was going to do this the right way like my Mom taught me._

"_No genius. I got this." I slid the tray with the pizza into the oven and set the timer for thirty minutes. I was about to walk out of the kitchen and go organize a stack of movies for my friends to choose from when I heard Caleb mutter something under his breath. I spun around._

"_What did you just say?"_

_Caleb gives me a look, like he's in charge of me. Like he's the parent!  
_"_You're a dumb blonde. No wonder no one likes you. Because you're so stupid."_

_I clenched my fists tightly and set my head high._

"_Blondes are stupid? Last time I checked, your girlfriend is a blonde and she's the second smartest person in the school!" Caleb stared at me like I had just grown a second head. And then he covers that emotion up like it was air._

"_Just remember Beatrice. I am always right. And you are one stupid blonde."_

I still hate him for all those comments he made over months that followed.

So when he got a scholarship from Loyola University at Christmas, I was partying and packing his bag. I wasn't going to miss him at all. So now one of his _adoring_ teachers is here to interrogate me.

"I was informed the other day that Loyola would like for me to return to its campus to continue teaching their advancing science classes," Ms. Matthews continues.

"Advancing? What does that mean? And what do you need _me_ for?" I ask her suspiciously. How is it that a college that superb needs teachers to keep up with the students? Wait - wasn't Tobias filling out an application for Loyola?

"Well, the science courses we teach are becoming more demanding. Instead of nonliving experiments, we need live ones. The science students need real living material to study. For example, the students who want to study the human mind and brain want to have a living person in the room to observe. And -."

"Wait," I complain, holding up a hand to stop her. "Are you saying that you want to _experiment _on me?"

Jeanine - I will not name her politely as Ms. Matthews - thinks about how she answer to this quietly to herself for a few seconds. She sighs.

"Not exactly." Jeanine plays with a loose piece of hair that falls over her face.

I raise my eyebrows. "Not exactly?"

"For one, you won't be _tortured_. That would be illegal of course! No! No! All you have to do is complete some tests and answer a few questions. No one will lay a finger on you. All you must do is show up, of course." Jeanine presses a fake smile to her face and holds it there. I hate how she makes the entire situation sound lighter and easier than it is.

_It isn't that bad! Just let us test you to crack into your head and find out how you function as a human being! Oh by the way, you get cookies, too! Isn't that great?_

"Why do you need _me _though? Why am I so special for this 'experiment?'"

Jeanine smiles a real smile now. It is cold and piercing. I suddenly wish she would put that fake smile back on now.

"You are the younger sister of our top student! Our own genius! But we want to see why your brain isn't as… special as his. We would like to see what the difference is between the both of you! Wouldn't that be wonderful: to discover the difference between two siblings' brain structures?"

Her eyes glint with something venomous. They are more piercing than before and something struggles to take over her: greed. She _wants _me. I am repulsed. I start to grab my bag and stand up. I have to get out of this room, of this building! She isn't safe.

"I am sorry to say this Ms. Matthews, but I will not do this. I am sorry, but please do not come to either me, my friends, or my family with this offer. Good day."

I push the door open and walk as quickly as I can outside for some fresh air.

I need to find Tobias.

Like, now.

_***SEE GUYS? THIS IS THE TURNING POINT OF THE STORY! THERE'S MORE COMING UP SOON!***_


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 18 - TOBIAS

_**3Ravens**_**: Where are u?**

_**4isawesome: **_**At lunch with the guys. What's up?**

_**3Ravens:**_ **we need to talk. soon.**

_**4isawesome:**_ **about…? when your girlfriend says 'we need to talk,' that doesn't really sound good.**

_**3Ravens: **_**it isn't bad for u, but maybe for me. meet me by the picnic benches outside.**

_**4is awesome: **_**can I bring the guys?**

_**3Ravens: **_**no. **

_**4isawesome: **_**do u want something to eat?**

_**3Ravens: **_**yes, thank you. I'm starving.**


	22. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 19 - TRIS

"Hey." Tobias walks up to me. He carries a sandwich in one hand and the keys to his truck in the other. I gladly accept the sandwich from him and take a bite into it.

"So, is this something we need to talk about privately?" he asks. I nod my head without speaking. Tobias understands immediately and opens the door for me to step through.

The air outside is breezy and cold. It feels just how Fall should feel. I keep eating the sandwich as we walk to his old red truck he drove me to school in this morning. It was given to him by Evelyn when he received his license two years ago as a Sophmore. The year that we met. I am quite surprised he hasn't tried to drive it into a rock after Evelyn's death.

Tobias jumps into the driver's side and I pull myself into the passenger side. He turns the truck on so that warm air blows out of the vents. I finish the sandwich and hold my hands in front of the vents to warm up my frozen fingers.

"So what is it?" Tobias asks. He reaches for one of my hands and curls my fingers into his palm. The warmth of his hand seeps into my skin, making it tingle. I sigh and explain the meeting with Caleb's _adoring _professor and how she wants to use me for an experiment.

"You? Why _you_?" Tobias asks after a moment of silence. I shrug.

"She said it's because they want to see why I'm not smart like Caleb is. Stupid-" I kick the dashboard in front of me - "stuck up -" I kick the dashboard again - "heartless idiots!" Tobias grabs my knee with one hand to keep me from kicking dashboard again.

"Why don't they use another student's brother or sister?"

"I don't know. Maybe because they're blind. Like Caleb." I sink further into the passenger's seat. Tobias squeezes my hand.

"It's weird. It's like they want _you_. But for something else. Something bad." He stares at our joined fingers. "And you were smart to tell her you refused the offer."

I sigh and close my eyes, leaning my head against Tobias' shoulder. At least he understands what I'm saying. I wonder how my parents will react though.


	23. Chapter 25

4,141 views! - the author


	24. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 21 - BEATRICE

I decided to stay late after school to finish my homework at the library. Afterwards, I would walk home to clear my head a little. At least I only live a few blocks from school.

0

I walk home with two other people. A younger girl in her Freshman year I recognize who almost looks like me. She is thin and tall with beautiful golden curls and sharp hazel eyes. She has an older brother my age, Robert. I think he liked me last year before he realized Tobias and I were best friends. Susan Black nods politely at me as we walk home.

A boy I recognize from my Math class walks a few steps behind us. He has green eyes and reddish - orange hair. He is built like Tobias, muscular and strong, but has a mean personality. His name is Peter Hayes. He hangs out with Drew and Molly at lunch.

I wave good bye to Susan as she walks up her driveway. There is still another block to walk before I make it home and Peter lives a block further down. We walk in silence.

"So… Beatrice, right?" Peter asks uncertainly.

"Yeah. Why do you ask Peter?" I scowl. He isn't exactly famous with my friends.

Peter shrugs innocently and pulls out his phone to text someone.

"No reason. Just wondering." Something doesn't feel right about his calmness. I pick up my speed, but Peter just keeps up with me. He still doesn't put his phone away and keeps glancing up at me. A blue van pulls around the corner in front of us and comes steadily down the street. Peter glances at the truck and puts his phone back into his pocket.

"I heard you met with Ms. Matthews today. What was that like?" Peter asks casually. I give him a suspicious glance and cross my arms across my chest. The van slows down by us.

"Nothing really special. She just wanted to talk about some things based on my brother. How do you know I met with her anyway?" Peter walks at my side now.

"Because she hired me to do some things for her. We're have an… understanding."

"Okay? Why are you telling me this?" The van stops right in front of us. Peter gets even closer. His eyes glint dangerously.

_Van. Peter. Jeanine. _

_We have an… understanding._

_Oh my God. _

The door to the blue van opens to reveal two burly men with dark ski masks covering their faces. The each hold a coil of rope and a knife. I drop my bag into a bush and start to run. But Peter is right behind me and faster. He grabs my arm and yanks me back. I fall on my back and my head hits the cement sidewalk, hard. I didn't even scream.

Everything...

goes...

dark...


	25. Chapter 27

CHAPTER 23 - BEATRICE

I open my eyes to a slow throbbing in the back of my skull. Voices are speaking in the far distance. Why do they sound similar? Like I've hear them somewhere before?

"She's awake!" a voice booms from a few feet away. People shuffle around and the voices are louder and more urgent. A shadow looms over my eyes and I feel something pinch my neck. I close my eyes.


	26. Chapter 28

CHAPTER 24

The sun is just setting when I pull into the high school's parking lot. A silver punch buggy sits perfectly parked in the middle of the empty lot. Christina and Will are leaning against the hood of the small car, talking quietly to each other. They see me and turn around.

"So where do we start?" I ask Christina. She points at an entrance of the school.

"The third West entrance. That door leads straight out to the street and is the quickest exit home. Come on." Will and I follow Christina as she leads us to the path leading from the entrance to the street. We wait a minute for the light to blink and let us cross.

"Where from here?" Will asks once we have crossed the street. Christina points toward a neighborhood and starts following the sidewalk. We eventually pass the Blacks' house. Their lights are on. I stop Christina in mid-step and begin walking up the front steps to the Blacks' house. I press the doorbell harder than I need to. We wait for a minute in silence.

The door clicks open to reveal Susan Black, Robert's younger sister. She politely gives us a smile and opens the door for us to pass through.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Susan, but can I ask you something?" Christina asks the girl. Susan nods. She's so quiet.

"Did you walk home with Beatrice Prior after school today?" Susan nods earnestly.

I feel a little prickle of hope in my chest. Maybe Susan saw what happened to Tris.

"Were you walking with anyone else?"

Susan takes a few seconds to consider her answer, then nods again.

"Was it a boy?" Will asks her calmly. Susan gives him a look and nods again.

"He had red hair and green eyes. Kind of cute actually. He was talking to Beatrice as they walked. But he kept texting someone as they walked. Then they went around a corner and I didn't see them again." Susan's voice is small and polite. I admire that greatly.

Christina gives her a weak smile before thanking Susan and we walk away.


	27. Chapter 29

CHAPTER 25 - BEATRICE

I moan as I open my eyes. My head hurts _too _much. It absolutely throbs.

My body feels slow and weak, like a weight is sitting on top of me. I try moving my hand to at least see my fingers, but it doesn't move. I'm completely numb, but can still myself.

I try to focus on my surroundings, but the ceiling over me seems to be made of light. There are no voices in the room. Am I dead?

_Tobias. I need you. I love you._

My stomach twists at the thought of Tobias sitting with our group, searching high and low for me. He must be dead worried right now. First Evelyn, and now me?

_Find me. Look for me. Please… _

I don't know how long I stay immobile and laying on that metal table. It feels like forever. I should have known Jeanine would not let me get away so easily. A door opens and closes. Footsteps near me and I close my eyes quickly.

"There's no point pretending to be asleep Ms. Prior. I saw you close your eyes."

The voice sends chills down my back. A shadow passes over me and I look up.

"Caleb?" My brother smiles sinisterly at me.

"Hello Beatrice and welcome to the Erudite Society. We are so glad that we could abduct you so soon. By the way, how are Mom and Dad doing?"


	28. Chapter 31

CHAPTER 27 - BEATRICE

"You idiot! You are a moron! A sadistic, a** of a brother!" I scream at Caleb as he calmly smiles at me in that patronizing way. Like that day he called me a _stupid blonde._ I scream at him until my voice breaks and I taste vile and blood mixing in the back of my throat.

Caleb takes the opportunity of me choking to leave my perpetual vision. I hear a series of clicks and he mutters something to himself under his breath. It sounds almost like a code.

Something doesn't feel right. There is a prickle in the back of my mind and somehow, my body _wants _to respond to it. My fingers bend and contract. But I didn't control them. My wrist bends to the side and my fingers clutch at my sleeve. Tobias was right: Jeanine wanted me so she could use me for worse things than just brain analogies.

"Amazing!" Caleb exclaims from wherever he's standing. I swallow my bile.

"What's happening Caleb? What are you doing to me? Stop it!" I scream. Tears prickle around my eyes, but for some reason, my body doesn't let them fall. I'm losing control! No!  
Caleb comes to stand by my head and smiles sinisterly down at me again. He leans down so his lips are right by my ear.

"A new era is beginning, my _dear_ sister. And you shall be the first test subject. Now! Let us see how we can make your life miserable!" Caleb straightens up and walks back over to the computers. He punches in a new code.

"Stop!" I scream. My neck turns from side to side and I feel the tears fall over my face. I manage to let out a sob, and another, and another. _Tobias…_

"Please, stop! Caleb, stop! It hurts!" I scream. My entire body blazes with fire as he tests my arms and legs by making them move up and down. I sob again and scream at Caleb. He punches in a new code and my screams stop. I can't speak. My tongue is glued to my mouth. No! No! This isn't how I am supposed to end! No! I close my eyes and breathe.

_Tobias holds me in his arms and holds me gently in his arms. We watch the sunset from his tree house. It's the day after Evelyn's funeral, and we are together now. Tobias shifts so his nose is in my hair. His arms tighten around me. It's perfect._

"_I never want to end this moment," he whispered into my hair. I felt myself redden. He cups my cheek in his hand and tilts my face upwards, our foreheads touching. We breathe in the same air as before he kisses me. His lips are soft and gentle, calm but insistent, and I lose myself in his arms. I pull away and stare into his dark eyes._

"_I'll never leave you Tobias. I will always be here. Forever..."_

But as my brother tortures me as I lay on this metal table, I think to myself:

_Our forever will never last…_


	29. Chapter 32

CHAPTER 28 - TOBIAS

That night, I have a nightmare. But the second dream is more of a sick reminder.

"_I'll never leave you Tobias. I will always be here. Forever..."_

Those eleven words exploded into my mind for hours. But before that was the _real_ torture. No number of Marcus' beatings could ever compare to what I dreamed of.

_She lay on a metal table, her face covered in sweat. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was clamped shut. I reached out to touch her, but my hand simply went through her as easily as air. I watched helplessly as her neck twisted to the side and her lips parted._

_She screamed. It was an earsplitting scream - too pained and forced._

"_Stop!" she screams. I feel the tears fall over my face. She sobs and tears fall down her cheeks. I tried to reach out, but I still couldn't touch her. I scream in anger._

Tobias… _her voice whispers in my mind._

"_Please, stop! Caleb, stop! It hurts!" Beatrice screams. My ghostly form turns around and I see Caleb smiling sinisterly at his sister, then back at a computer screen. He's controlling his own sister. How? I turn around to see Beatrice scream again before her mouth is shut by her brother's control. Her eyes are wildly searching the air. For me?_

_She closes her eyes and breathes._

I wake up in a cold sweat. My body is shaking all over, my hands unstable. I bring my knees to my chest and tighten my arms around them, taking in deep breaths. Her screams still echoes through my mind.

0

I press the button to the doorbell and wait in the rain for a few minutes. The lights have been on all night since I returned with Beatrice's backpack and delivered to news to her parents. Her mother fell to her knees, cradling a picture of her daughter to her chest, sobbing.

"Tobias?" Natalie Prior stands at the door with a landline clutched in her hand. Her hair is still in its neat bun; a few pieces hanging loose. Like Beatrice's. "What's wrong, honey?"

_Everything. My life. The love of my life._

"I had a nightmare and can't sleep. Can I come in?" I don't want to sound rude, but the rain pelting me is freezing cold. I feel awake now. Natalie steps aside so I can come in.


	30. Chapter 33

CHAPTER 29 - TRIS

I sit slumped over on the metal table, staring at my red Converse. According to the watch on my wrist, it has been eleven hours since my disappearance. It is three in the morning now. Somehow, after Caleb left the room, I regained control of my body. The fire had stopped immediately; but my body was shaking with pains and trembling violently. I was cold, too. Frozen to the metal table.

Slowly, I tried moving my fingers on _my _own_._ I stopped immediately.

_What if they are controlling me secretly? Is this all a trick to make me think I have control over my body again? I don't know!_

So I slowly began moving my arms and legs inch by inch. My body blazed with pain. Black spots appeared in my vision and I felt like throwing up a few times. So _this_ is what Zeke feels like after excessive drinking in one night. I am never going to drink in my life. If I can get out of here alive.

0

The door opens in the corner and Caleb walks back in, a clipboard in hand. He wears a pair of blue slacks and a nicely pressed button down shirt. His hair is neatly parted to the side and not one strand sticks out anywhere. His face is placid as he walks over to the computer and begins typing in new codes. I feel a little _wanting _in the back of my head.

"Is this supposed to be making me do something?" I ask incredulously. Caleb turns around and stumbles when he sees me. His eyes bulge in disbelief. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"H-how are you sitting up?" he reaches for his clipboard and pen to scribble something down on a piece of paper. I shake my hand in front of my face and shrug.

"After you left the room for a while, I just decided to get up. I was tired of laying down."

My voice sounds monotone and robotic: not really mine. I look back up at Caleb.

"That's impossible. I set the program for you to sleep. You were supposed to obey the command. But you broke free and now there is a thin connection between you and the system. I wonder why…" Caleb mutters under his breath.

My ears perk up at the mention of resistance. I defeated this torture? Am I myself?

Caleb turns around to type something into the computer and everything goes black again.


	31. Chapter 34

CHAPTER 29 - TOBIAS

Eleven hours, thirty seven minutes, and fifteen seconds.

That's how long it takes for me to go insane over a girl who is missing.

I love her. There is no doubt about it.

I am absolutely in love with Beatrice Prior.

And I have been since the first day we met.

Natalie and Andrew Prior are talking with the police and authorities on their phones when I decided I am tired again. It's only three in the morning. I aimlessly wander through the Prior's home, them now really noticing or caring, until I reach a familiar bedroom door.

I turn the knob and push the door open to her room. It's dark, so I flip the lights on. Her room is a soft grey color to match with the rest of the many varying colors of her bedspread. A small desk sits in the corner of the room. A small shelf of books she keeps reading a hundred times over and a stack of _Ellie Goulding _and _Junkie XL_ CD albums. A small, delicate, beautiful miniature chandelier glistens in the center of her ceiling. A ring of glowing plastic stars her parents got for her last year encircle the chandelier, giving the little diamonds an eerie light when the light is turned off. But what really hits me hard is her smell. It surrounds this room. The smell of lemon lotion and cinnamon.

I cannot do anything to contain the tears that escape my eyes at the thought of her living here, breathing here, growing up here in this room and home. Even if she has a sadistic brother who is probably hurting her beyond repair right now, she belongs _here._

I lay down on her soft bed, pulling her favorite blanket over myself, resting my head on her lemon scented pillow. Tears flow from my eyes as I stare at the twinkling lights of her chandelier being caressed by a dozen glowing stars. They shine green.

_Green. Like green eyes. _

_He had red hair and green eyes. Kind of cute actually. He was talking to Beatrice as they walked. But he kept texting someone as they walked._

Susan's words hit like stones when something clicks in my head.

Peter. He has to know something. _Everything_.


	32. Chapter 35

CHAPTER 30 - BEATRICE

I scream in frustration and concentration as the fire burns throughout my body. Caleb had injected me this morning with a new and more developed serum to test on me. He slams his fist on the computer screen and a million commands tear into my head.

_Lift your hand._

_Shake your head._

_Scream. _

I am panting hard as Caleb shuts down the system and turns to face me. His eyes burn with a cold hatred and he clenches his fists. My head pounds with pain as I struggle to sit up and face him. I wipe the sweat off my brow.

"How do you do it?" Caleb spits. I look up at him and see he is stepping closer. "How do you resist the serums?" I shrug.

"I just want to live, so my body fights it." He is only three feet away from me. I shift uncomfortably on the table and keep wiping the sweat of my face. Faster than I can see or register, he slaps me across the face. Hard.

"You little liar," he hisses. "Tell me how you do it?" My face hurts from the slap.

"I don't know. I swear: I have no idea."

0

I wake up to the sound of shouting. Voices near the door of my room and I sit up on the metal table, my face throbbing from Caleb's slap earlier. The door bursts open and people flood in around me. Some hold guns while others carry clipboards or blue bath robes. These must be the "Erudite Society" members. I've never seen them before in my life.

Two men carrying guns grab each of my arms, like they think I will run away through the open door. How can I if I am so weak and underfed right now? I haven't eaten in two days. A familiar blonde head bobs into the room rather quickly with a few more guards and they shut the door behind them. It clicks to show it is now locked. My vision tunnels when I finally get a good look at the woman. It's Jeanine Matthews. Caleb stands beside her.

"What's going on here?" I ask the men holding my arms. One of them glances down at me and I feel like I know him from somewhere. Like a distant dream I had.

"The entire building has gone into shut down. We were ordered to surround the victim and escort the second-in-command here."

_Second-in-command? Jeanine isn't the real lead power over this group? Who is?_

"Who is attacking the building? Are we safe?"

The second guard gives me a cold stare look, like: _Please shut up, stupid girl._

But the familiar guard seems fine with telling me things.

"The authorities are attacking. Somehow, someone on the outside slipped up and handed us over. Or was arrested on a mission and was tempted into giving up the truth."

I bite my lip. "Is Peter Hayes one of your commanders' lackies? He was the guy that helped two other larger guys abduct me the other day." I can't believe I'm making small talk with my captors. Maybe I'm just desperate for a way out.

My captor's grip slightly lessens; but is still strong enough to keep me from running. Why does he make me feel like I _know_ him already? And then it clicks in:

He's George Wu. The neighborhood policeman. One of Tobias' close friends.

_Tobias sent him to find me. _


	33. Chapter 36

CHAPTER 31 - TOBIAS

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out to read the text whoever sent me.

**NeighborhoodWatcher: Found her. We're safe for now. Don't raise the alarm until I can find a way out of here alive. Understood?**

**4isawesome: … oh my god. u found her that fast? **

**NeighborhoodWatcher: UNDERSTOOD?**

**4isawesome: yes! tell her I love her and miss her so much.**

**NeighborhoodWatcher: I am NOT your personal messenger. bye**

George Wu found Beatrice. I drop my cup of coffee and sprint home laughing.


	34. Chapter 37

I am sick of these serums. My body hurts too much after I go through one and no one has fed me in three days. It is nearly impossible to fight the control when you're starving.

0

I lay down on the metal table, just staring at the ceiling for no reason, when the door opens up. It's probably Caleb coming back to retrieve the pencil he forgot. But the footsteps get closer to me instead. A hand touches my shoulder and I immediately sit up straight.

"Beatrice, it's just me," George whispers. I feel a rush of gratitude wash over me and reach forward to hug him as hard as I can without wasting too much energy. George squeezes me back gently and I pull back. He hands me something wrapped in foil. Food. I tear the foil away and literally inhale that sandwich. I never want to go hungry again. George leans against the table and picks at his cuticles. He clears his throat a little.

"Tobias says he misses you. A lot actually."

I put down my sandwich and stare at my hands. They are thin and frail.

"He said that? How do you know?" I ask quietly.

George places a hand over my knee, gently though.

"After the authority raid ended last night, I contacted him to say that I found you and that you were safe in my sights. He… well, here. Read it for yourself."

George pulls out a cell phone and taps on the screen a few times. He hands me the phone and I read the message.

**NeighborhoodWatcher: Found her. We're safe for now. Don't raise the alarm until I can find a way out of here alive. Understood?**

**4isawesome: … oh my god. u found her that fast? **

**NeighborhoodWatcher: UNDERSTOOD?**

**4isawesome: yes! tell her I love her and miss her so much.**

**NeighborhoodWatcher: I am NOT your personal messenger. bye**

Tears prickle in my eyes. He loves me and wants me to come home. A tear slowly slides down my cheek and lands on my thumb. I hand the phone back to George, wiping tears away from my eyes. We're silent for a few minutes.

"Beatrice. Listen to me. I swear upon my life I _will _get you out of here and back home safely. Just Imagine what Tobias' face will look like when he sees you again."


	35. Chapter 38

CHAPTER 33 - TOBIAS

George texts me back a couple of times since his last update last night. Right as I am about to head out to my truck and drive to school, he texts me again.

**NeighborhoodWatcher: call the authorities**

**4isawesome: what happened? I thought we were waiting for the right time**

**NeighborhoodWatcher: she won't last. call the authorities**

**4isawesome: where is the place? how long will it take to get there?**

**NeighborhoodWatcher: it's in the city. not even two hours away. sort of underground like a basement. very close to Loyola Un. **

**4isawesome: Loyola. u sure?**

**NeighborhoodWatch: yep. Jeanine Matthews has a society of smart people with her here. they test serums on people. illegal stuff that the government kills for. and they're testing a hard one on B. sorry man. shouldn't have said that. **

**4isawesome: thanks man. now I know what they wanted her so badly for. is she resisting the sims? she's pretty smart and stubborn**

**NeighborhoodWatcher: her stubbornness is actually keeping her alive right now. that girl can **_**fight **_**man. I'll get her out in the next 76 hours though.**

**4isawesome: how about earlier?**

**NeighborhoodWatcher: sorry. no. don't call **_**all**_ **the authorities. just the chief and Amar. got it?**

**4isawesome: I understand. tell her I love her**

**NeighborhoodWatcher: what did I say about using me as a messenger? **

**0**

I am sitting at lunch with everyone else, eating in dead silence, when the dean of the school walks up to me. He holds a pass and hands it to me. Before turning away, he gives me a reassuring and unnecessary pat on the shoulder. I silently get up and read the pass.

Two minutes later, I arrive at the in-school police officers' office. Mr. Wagner, one of the two officers, waves me in. For someone who sits around all day eating a huge amount of candy from the tray sitting on his desk and just answering phone calls all day, he is remarkably in shape. Like, _really _in shape. He makes me look and feel like a toddler.

"Mr. Eaton, come sit."

I take a seat on one of the soft chairs positioned in front of his desk and dump my bag by my feet. My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it.

"I called you down here today to offer you -" he is cut short when my phone buzzes _again. _I give the officer an apologetic look and pull out the annoying square of glass.

**NeightborhoodWatcher: did u tell the officials? we need back up fast.**

**NeighborhoodWatcher: jeanine wants to execute B in the next 36 hrs. Move you a** quicker if u want us to get out of here alive.**

"Mr. Eaton, are you alright?" Mr. Wagner asks, concerned. I shake my head.

"How fast can you drive me and my friend Zeke to the nearest police station?"


	36. Chapter 39

CHAPTER 34 - BEATRICE

"Will you shut up already?" Caleb hollers at me as I squirm and scream on the metal table. In this simulation, my body is forced to clench into itself and lock into one stiff position. I am slowly losing my sanity these past two days. I haven't eaten enough in a week. My stomach grumbles in complaint each night.

I glare at Caleb and scream into the air, just for good measure. He slams his hand down on the controls again like last time and I prepare myself for the mixed orders. It starts out slowly, like a burning fire. My brain is working at top speed and my body can't handle it all at once. I feel vulnerable and weak; a pathetic piece of trash. I haven't cried for a while since arriving; but I do now. The tears blur my view of Caleb pounding out the door. After minutes of agony and blinding pain, I close my eyes and attempt to rest again.

_I stand beside a flowing river and my body feels tattered and shattered. My joints shake like they cannot hold me up anymore and my soul inside me is quickly eroding. My body gives up and falls onto the soft grass. Tears prickle my eyes._

"_Beatrice," a voice whispers over me. I want to believe Caleb is back, but the voice is deeper and I feel happier hearing it. A pair of hands slide under me, pulling my aching body up and into his arms. My tears fall onto his neck, making it slippery._

"_You came…" I cry into his shirt, feeling pathetically weak. Tobias pulls me tighter into his arms and his lips tickle my ear. He smells like safety and home._

"_No Beatrice. This isn't real. It's just a dream," he whispers. "You need to stay strong and fight the simulations. I know you are brave Beatrice, so fight back. Promise me this?"_

_I nod vigorously and pull back. He leans in closer, our lips brushing. But he doesn't hesitate for a minute and he kisses me softly. We stay like that, entwined in each others' arms, the river flowing beside us, until the light fades. _

_The last thing I see before I drift off in his arms are his dark blue eyes..._

0

George visits me later that night, bringing me another sandwich. I don't object at his lack of interest in other foods he can sneak in for me, but I am thankful to God that this is at least something edible. George has been coming to check on me for two nights now. We mainly sit in silence and I inhale the sandwich he always brings me. Then he'll just leave.

But tonight, George seems especially twitchy and nervous. He laces his fingers and clenches them, then release them; only to repeat the same process again. He's also avoiding my eyes. Like he doesn't want to say something to ruin the calm moment.

"What is it George?" I ask, licking my fingers clean. George focuses on a point behind me. I flick my hand in front of his face so he diverts his attention back to me.

"I'm sorry Beatrice. But your execution has been moved up two weeks," he mutters under his breath. "I warned Tobias of our location and to round up -"

"I am going to be _executed?_ What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I shriek.

George raises his arms to placate me into silence.

"No one knew except for Jeanine and a few select guards. I just happened to be one of those guards. They just informed me of the change the night of the authorities' raid."

"So what is Tobias doing with the police?" My voice trembles mentioning his name.

"I told him to prepare the chief police officer and a select few to help on this mission. We only require the most agile, cunning, and deadly people for this rescue."

"Tobias can join the group. Can't he? He has perfect aim and excellent skills."

George scratches his chin, grinning a little, and nodding to the idea.

"I'll tell him to join then."

I sigh in relief. "Thank you George. For everything."

He places his hand over my knee and gives in a squeeze.

"I'm going to do everything in the law and in God Almighty's name to get you out of this hell of a torture prison Beatrice Prior. Just hold on for two more days."


	37. Chapter 40

CHAPTER 35 - TOBIAS

I load the gun like Amar taught me to and raise it steady with two hands to take aim.

_Inhale. Aim. Exhale. Shoot._

The bullet hits the target, just straying a few inches from the center. Amar claps from the back of the room and walks up to me with a look of awe. My face turns pink.

"Wow. I have _never _seen someone hit so close to the bull's eye on their first attempt shooting a gun. Are you some sort of prodigy?" I hand the gun back over to Amar, feeling relieved to not be touching a weapon with so much power and ability to harm. But I have to learn to fight, so I pick up another weapon: a sleek, metal, perfectly sharpened knife as long as my wrist to my fingertips.

Amar watches me intently as I practice my stance and arm movement without the knife. When I am certain that I am ready, I pick up the knife and weigh it a little.

_Inhale. Aim. Exhale. Throw._

I imagine Jeanine Matthew's face on that board.

The knife hits the dead center.

It hit Jeanine's nose.


	38. Chapter 41

CHAPTER 36 - BEATRICE

Today, Caleb does not come to test a new batch of serums. No one comes to see me.

Not even George comes to tell me how much longer I have to live.

So I lay there on the metal, staring at the ceiling and wondering what my life would have been like without this abduction. Would I be safe at home right now, waking up with my parents? Or meeting with Tobias and pecking him on the lips before he drives us to school.

I may not survive to find out.

0

The door in the corner of the plain grey room opens and two guards walk in. They each take hold of one of my arms and quickly lead me out into the hallway. It is a long, straight passageway leading down at least two hundred feet in either direction, only to end at a door. Neither of my guards is George. I am led to the door to the left.

"What's going on?" My voice cracks from the lack of water. I haven't had any since last night right after Caleb left my cell. One guard opens the door without letting me go and pushes me up the stairs rather harshly. This hallway is darker than the last one. We climb what feels like a hundred steps before we reach a door. They had me in a basement this entire time. A _deep_ basement, too.

One of my escorts knocks on the door and it swings open. I squint to see through the bright light that blinds me. And then the cold hits me. It's like a blast of ice in my lungs, hardening them into stone. For once, I can breathe clean air again.

The guards shove me out into a dank and dark alley. Huge buildings loom over each side of the alley, forming a barrier from the rest of the city. We were in Chicago city all along? One of the guards releases my arms, the other one still holding my left arm, and pulls out a device from his pocket and raises it to his lips.

"We have the girl. What is your next order?" he says in a gruff voice.

The communication device has a wave of static before a clear message gets through.

"Say goodbye to your dumb a**es," a familiar voice shouts from the other end.

Was that… _Zeke_?


	39. Chapter 42

CHAPTER 37 - ZEKE

Nobody messes with Tobias Eaton. That includes:

abducting his girlfriend/ best friend/ my best friend

taking his chocolate cake

or restraining him when he's infuriated and in a deadly state

Amar had intercepted a radio transmission that one of the guard pairs use and gave them fake orders to retrieve Beatrice. For some reason, the guards work in pairs here. And boy did Tris look _bad_ when those guards shoved her out the door. Her eyes were red from crying and her clothes hung loose on her. Her blonde hair was plain and loose in its ponytail. But was worse was her reaction to the guards and their heavy guns. She eyed them carefully. Thank God Tobias was with Amar patrolling two blocks down. Tobias would have either had a heart attack seeing Tris in this condition or would have blown our cover and ran out to get her.

I raise the microphone to my lips and grin at the idiot guards from my hide out.

"We have the girl. What is your next order?" the guards mutters into his device.

"Say goodbye to your dumb a**es," I laugh.

Tris' face goes slack with shock. And then the slightest grin spreads onto her face.

"Zeke! Where are you!" she screams into the air, opening her arms wide and smiling. Her guards advance upon her, grabbing her arms and pinning them behind her back. Her smile immediately fades. The first guard reaches for the door handle; but I'm faster.

I lift my gun and shoot the door knob. He screams in shock and immediately turns around and points his gun in my direction. The second guard knocks Tris to her knees.

"You shoot us, we shoot her!" the guard yells in my direction. They both rest the barrels of their weapons on either side of Tris' head. She is shivering violently. I have to get her out of there without getting either of us killed. Or anyone in general.

Time for Plan B.


	40. Chapter 43

CHAPTER 39 - BEATRICE

My knees are freezing on the cold pavement. The barrels of the guns lain on my head on either side, constricting me from moving, are even _colder._

I don't know how long I am kneeling there on the pavement for, but it feels like an eternity. Nothing and nobody moves. In the distance, I hear cars driving past, the elevated trains rumbling throughout the city, and the chatter of millions of people enjoying the weather. And no one looks in our direction down the long, dank, dark alleyway. My body shivers with cold. I can already feel the stillness wanting to take over me. A week of starving, torture, and now this - I won't last very long. My fingers start to go numb and my teeth are chattering so dangerously hard, it's a wonder I still _have_ teeth in my mouth.

"W-why do we have to sit here so long?" I manage to gasp out. "Are we -."

I am cut short by the sound of running footsteps. They are getting nearer. I open my mouth to scream, but one of the guards taps the barrel of his gun to my forehead. I shut my mouth and lower my head to train my eyes on the pavement.

"Beatrice!" a voice shouts from the opening to the alley. I spin around and tears come to my eyes. Three men come out of the shadows, armed with weapons and flashlights.

"Tobias!" I scream. _He's here! He came! Get me out of here, now!_

"_Beatrice!_" One of the three figures breaks free and sprints in our direction. The guards step in front of me to block Tobias off, but that doesn't stop him. He raises his weapon and takes aim. I close my eyes and hear a loud bang. And another bang. Two _thuds_ hit the ground. I don't want to open my eyes.

0

"Beatrice!" Tobias' voice snaps me out of my trance, but I am still shaking violently. A pair of warm hands grab me and pull me into a wall of muscle and I hear a heartbeat through their jacket. The arms caress me tightly and I wrap myself into his embrace. Our breaths come out shaking and labored. My tears make his skin slippery.

"Tobias…" I whisper. My tears fall onto his skin and his arms hold me even tighter than before. I feel something warm land on my forehead and realize with a shock that _Tobias_ is crying, too. He pulls away and grasps my face with his warm palms. Our foreheads touch.

"You were gone. Gone, Beatrice. I couldn't find you. I'm so sorry," he whispers against my eyebrows. My fingers suddenly feel warmer. I look up and into his tear streaked face.

"What do I have to forgive you for? You searched in vain for me," I cry into his chest. My forehead is against his neck and his arms are wound tightly around my waist.

"I love you. I always have."

Without moving any part of my body, I smile.

"I love you, too. Tobias, I love you."


	41. Chapter 44

CHAPTER 40 - TOBIAS

I found her. I found Beatrice. She lays here, broken and shattered, in my arms. It isn't until I try to get her to stand up when I realize she is asleep in my arms. I carefully slip my arms under her and lift up her frail body, her head still leaning against my neck. It's cold.

Zeke and Amar run over after making sure the coast is clear. Amar sees Beatrice's condition and his eyes widen. His eyes widen even more when he sees the bodies of the two guards. I step over them and start walking back to the vehicle without another word. Beatrice shifts in my arms, her eyebrows furrowing, and lets out a small gasp.

I lean my head down and press my lips to her cold forehead.

"I love you, too."

0

Mr. and Mrs. Prior don't even bother to lock their doors anymore, so getting Beatrice quietly upstairs was no problem. I carried her sleeping form upstairs and into her unique bedroom, setting her down on her bed as softly as I can. I pull the soft blanket over her and crouch beside her bed, softly moving away her loose hair.

"Tobias?" She opens her eyes just by a crack. She looks down at her bed covers on top of her and her entire body relaxes. She smiles just a little bit at me. Her eyelids are drooping shut, so I go sit quietly on her desk stool. Just as I am about to turn around, her hand wraps around my wrist. I look down to see her eyes more open, but filled with fear.

"Don't go. Please." Her grip loosens just a little and she drops her arm beside her.

"I'll be right here Beatrice. I'm not going anywhere. I swear."

Her bright eyes burn into me. She picks nervously at her hair.

"I wanted you to lay _next_ to me. I can't fall asleep anymore."

"Of course." I peel my jacket off and slip my shoes off. I lay down next to her on her soft bed that smells like lemons. She curls her spine into my chest and I wrap my arm around her to keep her close. Her breathing is hoarser than I remember it ever being. But I don't really care right now. What matters is that she is safe again.

And I will keep it like that forever.


	42. Chapter 45

CHAPTER 41 - BEATRICE

"_Please, stop! Caleb, stop! It hurts!" I scream. My entire body blazes with fire as he tests my arms and legs by making them move up and down. I sob again and scream at Caleb. He punches in a new code and my screams stop. I can't speak. My tongue is glued to my mouth. No! No! This isn't how I am supposed to end! No! I close my eyes and breathe._

My eyes snap wide open and I sit bolt upright in the bed. Beside me, Tobias shifts over to give me space for air. I am panting and almost out of breath. Tobias touches my hand.

"Nightmare?" I nod slowly, trying not to throw up. My body shivers violently.

"C'mere," Tobias murmurs, his words sluggish from sleep. He opens his arms to me and I quickly accept the gesture by falling into him. His fingers rub over my shoulders and back, slowly soothing me until my breathing returns to normal. I try to close my eyes.

"What was the nightmare about?" he asks quietly.

"Caleb." I press my forehead to his shoulder and he secures his arms around me.

"Was he there the entire time?" I nod.

"He was the one… that tested the simulations on me. He tortured me Tobias. Why?"

Tobias pulls away so I can see his eyes. Mine start to get blurry with moisture. He wipes a tear off with his thumb. His fingers trace the line of my jaw, my neck, my arms.

"Caleb… the little -," but I cover his mouth with my hand. I shake my head at him to stop his ranting. He gives me a conflicted look. I drop my hand from his mouth.

"I don't want to think about it right now. Or ever."

Tobias sighs before he lays down again. I close my eyes listening to his steady heartbeat and my ragged breathing.


	43. Chapter 46

CHAPTER 42 - TOBIAS

Soft rays of sunlight shine through Beatrice's window and wash over us, making the whole world feel lighter and warmer. I open my eyes just a crack to see her face. It's beautiful. The golden sunlight makes her skin look fuller and her hair glow like it has been braided with liquid gold. Even after a week of starving, she still looks beautiful. Stunning, even.

"Oh my God. Beatrice!" My head snaps up to see Mrs. Prior standing in the doorway, staring at her lost daughter and I laying on the bed. I am so startled by her appearance that I jump back and forgetting that I am on a smaller bed, fall to the floor. Beatrice stirs, but stays dead asleep.

"Andrew! Get up here! Now!" Mrs. Prior hollers down the hall. She whips her head back around to make sure Beatrice isn't just some hallucination and has disappeared. The shaking woman quickly rushes over to Beatrice's bed, hovering like a protective mother bird, tears slipping over her cheeks as she finally validates that her daughter is real and alive.

"How did you return?" Mrs. Prior whispers to her sleeping daughter that doesn't wake.

Still laying on the ground, I raise my arm into the air.

"_I _got her back. Your _welcome_."

I haul myself to my feet and rest my elbows on Beatrice's mattress. My shoulder stings from the drop and Mrs. Prior stares at me like I've grown a second head. I wouldn't blame her. It's not everyday you wake up to find your lost daughter reappeared in the middle of the night and dead asleep with her Senior boyfriend claiming he got her out of trouble. Before I can open the window and escape, Mr. Prior rushes into the room.

"Tobias?"

I swallow my fear.

"Hello sir."

Mr. Prior gives me a questioning look.

"I uhhh… was about to leave." But Mrs. Prior grabs my arm tightly in one hand and pushes me back. Her eyes are filled with awe.

"Andrew, Tobias is the one who brought Beatrice back. He brought our daughter back." Mr. Prior steps forward and grasps my hand in his, shakes it twice, then lets go.

"Young man, I cannot think of the horrors my daughter must have faced this past week. I am eternally thankful for you bringing her home safely." Mr. Prior's eyes drift back to his daughter, who is deep asleep, safely tucked under her blankets.


	44. Chapter 47

CHAPTER 43 - BEATRICE

My head pounds as I open my eyes to the bright sunlight. As my eyes finally adjust, I realize where I am. Home. I feel Tobias' arm around my waist, his chest against my back.

"Good morning," I murmur. He laughs, the vibration warming my cold body.

"More like good afternoon," he sighs against my ear. I slowly turn so that I am facing him. Tobias' eyes are beautiful in the sunlight that floods through my window. He rest his hand on the side of my face and our foreheads touch.

"Thank you," I whisper. My lips brush his as I speak. "For finding me."

He closes the distance by pressing his lips to mine gently, then pulls away.

"Any time, little girl."

0

Tobias' arm is looped around my shoulders as he helps me walk out of my room. My body is so weak from the lack of food that I can practically smell the frozen pizzas my family keeps in the basement fridge. My stomach grumbles in complaint.

_The food is so close. Hurry up, Stumpy Legs!_

I try not to look at Caleb's locked bedroom door. But I do. Shivers follow down my spine and I lean heavily onto Tobias. He supports me.

"You really need to eat." I nod, too hungry to speak.

Together, we walk down the stairs and into the living room. My parents sit on the leather couch, their gazes focused on points beyond my understanding. Mom looks like the life was sucked out of her and she clutches a pillow to her stomach. Dad just looks depressed; or relieved. I can't really tell. But the second Tobias and I walk into that room, they transform into the people I once admired for my entire life.

"Beatrice! Oh my little girl!" my mother cries out as she envelopes me in her arms. I don't squirm away like I used to before the 'incident.' Yes, that's what I'll call it now. Tobias' arm slips away from my shoulders and he steps back for my parents and I to have a private moment. As my father pulls me into his strong arms, I feel his tears fall onto me.

Behind us, the front door closes shut.


	45. Chapter 48

CHAPTER 44 - TOBIAS

I shut their front door behind me quickly to escape the feeling of suffocation. How can Beatrice be surrounded so closely by others? For a while, I have known that I am claustrophobic. And everywhere I go, I always pick out the little details that lead me to feeling trapped, contained, restrained. Only Beatrice can help me calm down; she just doesn't know it. I plop down on the second step of the patio steps and drop my head in my hands, focusing on my breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

The door opens behind me and someone steps outside. It isn't Beatrice or Mrs. Prior; their footsteps are light and you almost can't hear them walking. These footsteps are heavier and drag more. It's Mr. Prior. I don't know why I care to remember how he walks. Mr. Prior sits down on the step with me at a respectful distance and releases a breath. We're silent.

"Beatrice won't tell us what happened completely. She tells us pieces of the incident, but is leaving out major parts of the crime. For instance, she isn't telling us _who_ tested the simulations on her. She just starts breathing really fast and keeps shaking her head," Mr. Prior says quietly. He stares at a tree in the front yard, golden leaves swirling to the ground.

I'm not surprised that Beatrice hasn't told her parents the entire truth. It would shatter her parents if they knew who was testing those illegal drugs on her. I pick my head up and look at Mr. Prior. His dull eyes are looking straight into me, making me feel cold.

"Beatrice trusts you more than anyone else she has ever met. She must have told you who did this to her. I want to know who it was Tobias." Mr. Prior's voice is insistent and hard like rocks. I want to tell him who did this, but it isn't my place to tell him.

"I'm sorry sir. Beatrice did tell me who, but I will let her explain what happened on her own. Besides, I only know that she was kept in a basement in Chicago and that I got her out with the help of three others on a mini team." Mr. Prior gives me a serious expression before picking at his cuticles nervously.

"Do you love her?" he asks quietly. The question takes me by surprise. Do I love Beatrice? I have loved her since the day we met. I have admired her for who she is inside instead of outside, envying how easy it is for her to be so selfless and kind.

"Yes."

Mr. Prior smiles a little. It's probably the first time he has even shown any emotion other than depression or stiffness in the past month. He had his daughter taken away from him, twice, only for her to return once. Her heart lies somewhere far out of his reach, gone forever. He has to watch his daughter grow up and fall in love with another heart. Mine.

Mr. Prior stands up, offering his hand to me. I accept it and pull myself up easily. He's stronger than I anticipated. Mr. Prior faces me and sighs.

"I will never be able to thank you enough for what you have done for my family and Beatrice herself. You helped bring our daughter back home to us in one piece. You are like a son to us now. Whenever you need anything, just ask." I shake my head at him.

"I can't be like a son to you. I… I will never be."

Mr. Prior puts his hand on my shoulder, making me look into his eyes.

"Tobias, you have been like a son to me since you and Beatrice met two years ago. And no matter what, I will never call you anything any different." He sighs. "I give you my blessings to be with my daughter. As long as you treat her well like she would treat a flower."


	46. Chapter 49

CHAPTER 45 - BEATRICE

"Oh sweetie," Mom murmurs into my shoulder, her arms tightening around me. "You were so strong to have lasted through those simulations. My brave little rebel." I smile at her and hold back tears that want to escape so badly and be released. But I don't let them go yet.

The front door opens. Dad and Tobias walk in, both looking a little awkward around each other. A prickle of warmth stirs in me at the sight of Tobias. He makes me feel calmer. My mother runs her hands through my hair, her eyebrows furrowing in frustration as she sees how dirty it is. Her eyes drift down to my even dirtier clothes and she scowls. Tobias sits down on the opposite side of me and plays with my thumb. At that right moment, my stomach growls. Every head in the room turns to look at me.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up and I will get you something to eat," Mom says. The idea of a hot shower, lemon shampoo, and a full meal makes me feel drowsy. Or maybe that is just the fatigue and lack of sleep.

"Yeah. A hot shower and a meal sounds amazing," I say in a dreamy voice.

0

An hour later, I walk into my bedroom with my damp hair hanging down my back and beginning to soak the back of my shirt. I pull on a pair of my favorite sweatpants and head downstairs. My nose is met with a wall of warm and welcoming aromas of dinner.

Tobias and I each grab a full plate of food and sit close together on the couch. I literally inhale my meal. Tobias doesn't touch his. When I set down my empty plate on the coffee table, he passes his untouched plate over to me.

"No. You eat it."

He pressed his fork into my hand and gently lay the plate in my hands.

"But you need it more."

I smile gratefully at him and begin picking at a piece of chicken. My mind wanders off into random thoughts, too. How lucky I was that George was undercover and kept in touch with Tobias. I finish the plate of food and set it down beside my first one on the coffee table.

I lean my head against Tobias' shoulder, aware of my parents' eyes only on me this entire time, and close my eyes. The sound of heartbeat lulls me slowly back to sleep.


End file.
